The Little Moments
by xinaidebenihime
Summary: A collection of various NaLu, Gruvia and Gajevy drabbles. Multiple Universes. Latest: #11 "After his fight with Zeref, Happy brings Natsu back to the guild where an angry Lucy is waiting for him." Slight NaLu. Canon Universe. Complete. THIS CHAPTER HAS MANGA SPOILERS!
1. Distraction

_**Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** A "sparring" Gray and Natsu are distracted by Lucy and Juvia…_

 _ **Rating:** T - for suggestive themes_

 _ **Summary:** In the midst of a fight, Natsu and Gray are suddenly distracted by Lucy and Juvia. Well…they are at the beach after all. NaLu. Gruvia. OneShot._

 _ **Word Count:** 547_

* * *

" _Ow! What the hell Flame Brain?!"_

Gary could recall countless fights with Natsu where he'd gotten hurt. Various slashes to his torso, burns, broken bones and bruises were common occurrences. But never had Gray been hurt by Natsu standing absolutely still.

That in itself was a miracle.

In an attempt to send the pyromaniac flying, Gray had slugged the pinkette's jaw. Normally, had he had Natsu's attention, it would have sent him flying…

But instead, Natsu was staring off into space.

Shaking his hand out and following his frenemy's gaze, Gray's sights settled on what it was that had distracted the guy from their match in the first place.

A few feet away—beneath the unnecessarily large beach umbrella that Juvia had insisted Gray set up—stood Lucy, pulling her shirt over her head, revealing a HeartKruz bikini.

 _Nothing he hasn't seen before…why's he acting like this now?_

True, Natsu had seen Lucy naked countless times—and thrown in a few gropes too—but since he'd come back from his year long journey, he really took notice of how Lucy had changed. From her training and journalism—that involved more walking than one would think—her muscles had really toned and rippled beneath her skin as she moved.

As she tossed her shirt to the side and stretched her arms above her head, Natsu nearly gawked at her. Before heading into the water she pulled at her arms and twisted her torso and even from where he was standing Natsu heard her back crackle. He watched as she ran for the waves, looking back to Juvia and gesturing for the water mage to follow.

It was then that Gray understood why Natsu was gawking.

In the months he and Juvia had trained together, she'd began to strip with him. Granted, it was usually just her overcoat or shirt—never naked like he was—and he didn't take much notice of it. But having not seen her in months and now not being in the midst of battle…

She was a goddess.

Mimicking Lucy's stretched from before, Gray fell silent. Her bikini had enough coverage to support her…assets, yet still revealed various curves as the blunette moved. As she brought her hands behind her back and clasped them together, Gray took in the sight of her ivory skin flowing over her biceps—pulling at and emphasizing the slim but strong physique she'd acquired over their time together and apart.

Embarrassed that he'd been ogling, Natsu shook himself out of the trance Lucy's outfit and actions had put him in. A faint blush dusted his cheeks as he peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes—smiling and tossing a beach ball to Juvia, she was glowing.

He was so happy she was.

Breathing out and clearing his mind, Natsu turned back to Gray to finish their fight. The fact that Lucy could distract him from one was proof of her beauty…though nobody needed to know that.

Giving his full focus to the ice mage, Natsu noticed his rival's expression—the same one he was sporting only seconds before. Taking this as his chance, Natsu's lips parted into that of a devilish grin as he threw another punch.

 _"Ow! What the hell Ice Princess!"_

* * *

 _Heehee :)  
_ _Feel free to drop a request, or a review!_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	2. Birthdays

_**Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** Now that they think about it, Gray and Levy have no idea when Juvia and Gajeel's birthdays are…._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** Just a normal day at the guild. A fighting Natsu, a reading Lucy, and…Gray watching Juvia?_ _Wait…why is Levy spying on Gajeel? Canon. Gajevy. Gruvia. OneShot._

 _ **Word Count:** 1,206_

* * *

The guild was as lively as always.

Natsu was following Laxus around, pestering him for a fight. Erza sat at the bar talking to Mirajane, eating strawberry cake. Cana lounged on a tabletop, nursing a barrel of beer while talking to Gildarts—who was back in town for a few days. Elfman and Lisanna were reading a book together with Lucy, Jet and Droy were loitering in a corner, and Gajeel and Juvia were sitting together, talking.

Upstairs, peering down at the two previous Phantoms, were Gray and Levy. The two of them together in the first place was not a common occurrence—though they were friends, they didn't necessarily spend a bunch of time together. Today however, they were huddled behind the banister bars, surveying the guild from above.

Leaning his forehead against one of the wooden planks, Gray's brow furrowed.

"How have we not thought about this before?"

Levy mimicked his action whilst threading her legs through the bars and letting them dangle. Her gaze settled on the Iron Dragon slayer. He was always relaxed around Juvia—the two had known each other the longest after all—something Levy loved to see. Very rarely was she able to see him genuinely smiled, and the sight warmed her heart.

In the years since Gajeel and Juvia had joined Fairy Tail—minus the Tenrou frozen period—not once had they celebrated a birthday. Amongst her time there, Levy could remember at least one birthday celebration for each of the Fairy Tail members…with the exception of Natsu. He had no idea how old he was and according to him, Igneel didn't know either. They'd all agreed he seemed to be the same age as Gray and celebrated the day he joined Fairy Tail instead.

But Gajeel and Juvia…they never had.

"Does _anybody_ know when their birthdays are?" Levy muttered, glancing over at the ice mage sitting next to her.

"Beats me," Gray grumbled.

"Juvia never said anything to you? You two did live together for a year you know." Levy adopted an unimpressed tone as she turned to face Gray. Spent a year with the girl and didn't know her birthday.

"You and Gajeel were in the council for a year Levy," he shot back.

Touché.

Levy took that moment to stand and brush off her clothes. Gray followed her motion with his eyes, a question in his eyes.

"I'm going to go ask him."

Leaving Gray behind, Levy made her way to the stairs. She'd spent a year working with Gajeel, and over the course of that year they'd grown more comfortable around each other—he was still stupid a lot of the time and teased the hell out of her though. How could she not know his birthday?

Caught up in her own thoughts, Levy failed to notice how the new steps had changed. Instead of safely descending to the ground floor, she found herself tumbling off a heightened platform toward the floor.

As quickly as she'd fallen, she found herself in two strong arms. Her skin pricked at the sudden contact metal made with her skin as she was lifted into the air.

"Fallin' for me there are ya, Shrimp? Gihihi."

Gajeel was smirking down at her, crimson eyes glinting mischievously. His hair was pulled back by a headband—a habit he'd adopted shortly after their pairing for the S-class trials—subjecting Levy to the full effect of his tantalizing gaze. Way too cocky for his own good.

Averting her eyes, the solid script mage flailed her arms in an attempt to right herself, "Stupid Gajeel!"

The dragon slayer loosened his old on her, allowing her to sit up slightly before she found herself swung over his shoulder.

"Stupid Gajeel let me down!"

She could see the look on his face as he laughed. Her fists pounding on his back did little to cease his movements as he strode out of the guild. Finally giving up, Levy relaxed against Gajeel's back, opting to lounge instead of protest.

"Gajeel…when's your birthday?"

She felt the muscles in his back stiffen, but his steps did not waver. With his grip tightening around her waist Levy was starting to get a bit uncomfortable.

"I…why do you wanna know?"

Gajeel took that moment to set Levy down on a large square stone. The height of the rock compensated for her lack thereof, bringing Levy up to eye level with the metalhead.

Taking a deep breath and staring straight back at him, Levy swallowed. "I just…we spent a year together, and've done the S-class trials…and you saved my life and…"

Gajeel cocked his head to one side, a genuine half smile ghosting at the corners of his mouth, "Spit it out shorty."

"I just feel bad that I don't know something as simple as your birthday."

Blink.

Laughter echoed through the small clearing they were in as Gajeel nearly burst into tears. Flushed and fuming, the blunette that sat before him pouted for a minute before attempting to get away. She was being serious, and here he was treating her care as a joke.

Two hands held her wrists held her firmly in place though, preventing her departure. Tenderly, Gajeel ran his thumbs over the backs of her hands, calming himself down.

"Funny thing is, Levy…" Gajeel's voice was slightly grave and almost, sad, "I don't know it myself."

Levy's eyes widened, "Wh—"

"None of the dragon slayers know. We were picked up when we were so young by all of them, we never paid much attention. We know our age in comparison to the year, sure…but none of us have much of an idea as to the actual day." Gajeel crossed his arms in front of his chest—rarely did he speak that much.

Only for her…

…though he'd never admit it.

"What about Juvia?" If she found out about Gajeel, she might as well see if he knew her birthday so she could tell Gray.

The Iron dragon slayer smirked.

"Not a chance, Shrimp. I ain't tellin' you that. Gray can ask himself," his eyes shone. "I wouldn't give up the chance to see Juvia take the whole thing way out of proportion."

Levy giggled. That was definitely something that would be entertaining. Mavis only knows how fangirl Juvia would turn once Gray asked her when her birthday was. The two of them were better than any soap opera.

"C'mon, Shrimp." Gajeel spun around, offering her his back this time instead of his shoulder. Wrapping herself securely around his torso, Levy relaxed with her chin hooked over his shoulder.

Needless to say, when they got back to the guild, Juvia was spouting off when her birthday was coming up and all the things her and her beloved were going to do to celebrate. Chasing Gray around—who again for some reason was butt naked—with declarations of love and dedication earned a chorus of laughs from the whole guild.

However it was Gajeel who noticed that in place of the usual horrified and 'desperate to get away' face Gray usually made when Juvia did this…was a playful smile.

 _Take care of her Gray…or I'll break your face._

* * *

 _Lemme know what you think! :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	3. Attitude

_**Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** Most awkward moment you can have, walking in on a certain dragon slayer while he teaches a certain water mage how to hold her ballet stance._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** After looking all over town—and scouring Lucy's apartment—a celestial and ice mage finally find Natsu and Juvia at Natsu's…in a semi suggestive position. Canon. NaLu. Gruvia. OneShot. _

_**Word Count:** 1,020_

* * *

Lucy had seen a lot of weird things over the years. One peek into the guild and you would find at least one person naked, one person fighting, one person with a broom stuck where the sun don't shine, and various other scenarios a non-Fairy Tail member would find odd to witness.

However, topping all of these moments—including Gray asking for her pants, naked Natsu washing naked Erza's back, and the various gropings multiple females of the guild were subjected to—was the scene she and Gray had just walked in on in Natsu's living room.

After wandering around looking for the fire dragon slayer, Lucy and Gray had finally made their way to Natsu and Happy's. That in itself was interesting since it was rare for the pinkette to be somewhere other than at the guild, Lucy's apartment, or a job.

So when she and Gray found themselves on Natsu's porch and threw open his door—he was always barging into her place after all, 'bout time he was given a taste of it—their eyes fell on the last thing they would expect to find.

Natsu groping Juvia from behind.

It only took two seconds for Gray to dart across the room and sock Natsu in the jaw. Sending him flying, the ice mage fumed as the dragon slayer became entangled in his hammock. Rubbing his head as he struggled to free himself, Natsu returned the frustration.

"What the hell, Gray!"

Stalking over to him, Gray readied his hands in the ice make position, but was pulled back by Juvia.

"Gray-sama, stop! It's not—"

"He was feeling you up, Juvia! What the hell are you expecting me to do!?" Face flushed with anger and embarrassment, Gray lunged again for the fire-user.

"Christ man, it was just an Attitude. No need to get so much sand in your—" Natsu was cut off by Gray.

" _Just_ and _attitude?!_ How the hell would you feel if I did that with Lucy?!" Juvia secured her arms tighter around her beloved; she felt his skin heat up against hers. She'd never seen him so riled up before.

"That's what the pose is called, Gray-sama."

Blinking as he redirected his gaze to Juvia, Gray's muscled relaxed slightly—enough to warrant Juvia backing off, but not enough to calm himself just yet. The water mage backed away slightly, Natsu joining her shortly after—much to Gray's chagrin. His muscles tensed to pounce on Natsu should he give him a reason to.

Natsu nodded to Juvia.

Taking that as her queue, Juvia's eyes dropped to the floor as she turned her right foot out at a forty-five degree angle. Bending her knees, she sashayed forward, rounding her arms—fingertips close together—before bringing her right over head and extending her left to the side. Her right ring and pinky fingers rounded slightly and her middle and index extended long—the same with her left hand—whilst she tucked her thumbs in.

"Good, arms are great. Now the leg."

Straightening her right leg, Juvia extended her left foot back, pointing her toe. Gaining her balance, she then lifted her left leg up, bending the knee as she did so. Her back arched as her thigh and calf gained height—her hip wasn't turned out enough though.

"You've gotta turn your hip a bit more, Juvia." Natsu took that opportunity to rest his hands beneath Juvia's thigh, rotating it slightly. With her hip now at the proper angle, he slowly extended her leg.

"Alright, now drop into an arabesque."

Following Natsu's order, Juvia strengthened her leg and brought the arm that was above her head down and in front of her. Extending it forward, Juvia leaned, lengthening her body.

"You can get more height than that," Natsu smirked, raising her lifted leg higher. He paused for a few moments as Juvia found her footing before letting go and moving back a few steps.

Nodding in satisfaction, Natsu smiled before turning to Gray.

"See? I was just helping her with her transition from an Attitude to an Arabesque. No harm done."

Obviously flustered—Natsu could totally see him gawking at Juvia as she worked on the poses—Gray took the opportunity to grab the water mage by the arm and drag her out of Natsu's house.

"Well that was weird," he mused.

"Actually, what's weird is how you know ballet," Lucy commented.

Redirecting his gaze to the blonde that was still standing in his doorway, Natsu blushed. "Didn't see you there, Luce."

Lucy smiled, "You do realize that he's now going to tell everyone and you're never going to hear the end of this."

"Yeah…I know," Natsu sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Lucy wandered in, "So how _do_ you know ballet anyway?"

Natsu's skin became less distinguishable from his hair. "Well…after that job we had where we needed to dance, I felt kinda bad that you had to teach me, so I figured I'd try to learn some myself…"

Lucy blinked. _He'd done it for her?_

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I would've gladly given it." The blonde cocked her head to one side. She would've loved to help, she had years of experience with multiple types of dance—her mother wanted her to learn it when she was little.

"Cause I suck at it," Natsu mumbled.

Smiling softly, Lucy brushed the hair covering his face out of his eyes. Sheepishly, Natsu brought his gaze up to meet hers.

"Well, you know the poses. If you need some help with execution, I can always help you out." Smiling up at Natsu, Lucy could only feel elation when her expression was returned.

"Yeah…okay."

Needless to say he wasn't too happy the next day when he first walked into the guild and had a large piece of metal collide with his face.

Catching it before it hit the ground, Natsu found himself holding a metal sculpture…

Of him doing an arabesque in a tutu.

 _"ICY BASTARD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_

And once he did, Gajeel was next.

* * *

 _Reviews are awesome ;)_

 _\- xinaidebenihime_


	4. Attitude - Part 2

_**Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** Gray's reaction outside to Juvia. __Why did she ask Natsu of all people for help?_

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** After looking all over town—and scouring Lucy's apartment—a celestial and ice mage finally find Natsu and Juvia at Natsu's…in a semi suggestive position. Canon. NaLu. Gruvia. TwoShot._

 _ **Word Count:** 437_

* * *

Juvia barely gained her footing as Gray dragged her along with him. He hadn't given her any warning before pulling her out of Natsu's house and halfway down the street.

"Gray-sama…what're y—" she looked up at the scowl on his face and fell silent. There was a furrow to his brow and look in his eyes that Juvia had never seen before. It wasn't anger, it wasn't jealousy, it wasn't upset. Juvia couldn't quite pinpoint the expression and what it meant.

And that made her anxious.

Going along with him now, the blue-haired mage waited for him to begin talking. Gray overall wasn't that much of a talker—and never expressed his feelings—so Juvia just walked next to him silently.

It was when they were closing in on the back of the guild that he finally spoke up.

"So why were you having Flame-for-Brains teach you ballet?" he asked.

Juvia opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off.

"I mean," Gray continued, "why are you even learning ballet in the first place? And why go to the pyro of all people?! Like he knows anything about it in the first place, he probably just read a sentence or something and started acting like an expert to get a rise out of me."

The ice mage began to pace, avoiding Juvia's gaze.

"Why wouldn't you come ask me? Or hell, even Lyon would be better than that Ash-head. What the hell, Juvia?!" Turning to her suddenly with blazing eyes, Juvia reached out to take his hand.

"Juvia took a job where Juvia has to do an attitude and arabesque for a sculptor. Natsu-san was helping because Juvia's client needs to have the clay fired, and Natsu-san is a fire dragon slayer…so…" Juvia trailed off, wondering if she should tell Gray the rest of the truth.

"That still doesn't make sense as to how he had an idea of what he was doing." Crossing his arms over his chest, Gray waited for Juvia to spill what he knew she was hiding.

"Natsu-san is learning how to dance for Lucy-chan!"

Gray blinked.

Natsu…was learning how to dance?

Oh this was just too perfect.

A large grin spread over Gray's face as he made his way back toward the guild with a stuttering Juvia in tow.

"Gray-sama! Juvia wasn't supposed to tell anyone! Please—"

Nope. This was just too rich. No way Gray was passing this one up. Natsu was going to pay for even _thinking_ about laying a hand on his Juvia.

…wait, what?


	5. Shadow Air

_**Request by:** Empress of Everything_

 _ **Prompt:** Bookshop owner Levy crushes on customer Gajeel with a teasing Lucy._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** A blunette store owner eyes her heavily studded customer as her blonde friend/employee decides to play matchmaker. Fluffy Gajevy. OneShot._

 ** _Word Count:_** _964_

* * *

Levy blankly stared at the book in front of her.

Her eyes wandered over the page, recognizing the presence of words and sentences, but not really taking it in. It was a book Levy had read countless times before, but for the life of her she couldn't seem to figure out what the hell the damn thing was saying today.

"C'mon, Levy. Put the book down, we both know you're not really reading."

Peering over the large tomb, Levy glared at her best friend. Arms crossed in front of her chest with an all knowing smirk on her face, was Lucy.

Blonde and beautiful, Lucy was not only her partner in their book shop, she was one of Levy's closest girlfriends. Acting totally on impulse during interviews, Levy had hired her instantly—even though she was the first interviewee. She'd proven to be an amazing employee and even better friend.

However, her favourite past time was teasing Levy.

"How do _you_ know, hm?" the blunette challenged, eyes narrowed. In the span of a second, Lucy had snatched the book from her.

"Hey!" Levy lunged, trying and failing to retrieve her book.

"What part are you at?" Lucy asked smugly, dangling the novel as Levy's arms flailed. The blunette crossed her arms in front of her chest.

 _Damn._

She had no idea.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the blonde snickered. Setting the novel down, Lucy redirected her gaze over the counter. Knowing exactly who she was looking at, Levy stubbornly kept her eyes forward.

"Shuddhup," she muttered.

"Wow, Levy..." Lucy breathed, "he's..."

Finally giving in, Levy let her eyes settle on the figure by the books.

He was tall, at _least_ two feet taller than she was. Long black hair flowed down his back, spiking out at all different angles—a few tufts hung in his eyes. Large studs decorated his face as makeshift eyebrows while smaller ones were set along the length of either side of his nose. There were a few under his chin, and the largest decorated his forearms. The darkness of his hair and skin was a stark contrast to the red of his eyes.

Yes. His actual iris' were blood red.

Sporting silverly slashes on his arms and clad in black clothing with more metal studs for decoration, the man drew many looks and Levy could only wonder what his story wa—

Oh crap he was looking at her.

Snatching her book back from Lucy, Levy hid behind the pages once again in an attempt to hide her blush.

"Ouuuuuu, here he comes!"

The blunette's heart began to race as she heard heavy footsteps come closer to her. She'd noticed him in her store for the past month on multiple different occasions, but had never talked to him. He'd only bought something once, and she'd been in the bathroom, so Lucy was the one to serve him.

Said blonde took this opportunity to wink slyly at Levy before disappearing into the back.

 _Uh oh._

"Yo, Shrimp."

Levy blinked. _Shrimp?_

Setting down her hardcover, Levy let out a long breath and raised her eyebrows to the man in silent question.

"I'm lookin' for a book," he grunted, "but I can't find it."

Standing up, Levy wandered over to her computer to pull up the search engine, "What book?"

His eyes widened then and darted around the room as he stuttered. Levy couldn't stop the small smile that escaped her lips as he tried to find a book title to give to her.

 _Had he not been here to buy a book?_

His gaze finally landed on the book Levy had just put down a second before they were back on her.

"Shadow Air."

Levy didn't miss the faint blush that dusted his cheeks.

Typing the title into the search engine, Levy's face fell.

"I'm sorry sir, we sold our last copy yesterday." Her stomach sank.

"Oh," he grunted, "that's okay. Thank you."

He offered her a small smile before turning to head out of the shop.

Watching his retreating form, Levy couldn't stop the words that flew from her lips.

"You can borrow my copy if you want!"

Grabbing the hard cover, Levy slid out from behind the counter and over to him. He was indeed two feel taller than her.

She held out the volume shyly.

"I can't take your book...you were reading it," he mumbled, hair falling in his eyes.

"I wasn't really reading it..." Levy blushed, "and besides, I've read it already...ten times."

His eyes glinted as he smirked, "That good, eh?"

"Shuddhup."

Holding the book up to him, Levy smiled as he took it.

"Just bring it back, okay?"

"Sure thing, Shrimp," he smiled. His whole face lit up with a happiness that only made him that much more alluring and intriguing to her.

As he turned to go, once again Levy found herself spouting out words she normally would've been too shy to say.

"Levy."

The tall man glanced back down at her, eyebrow raised.

"My name is Levy."

Grinning wider now, the metalhead let out a laugh, "I know, Shrimp. Gihi. It's on the front of the store, ain't it?"

Blushing heavily, Levy stuttered, "St-stupid...stupid..."

 _What the_ hell _was his name?_

"Gajeel."

She blinked as he walked out of the shop, tucking her book securely under his arm.

"Stupid Gajeel."

The blunette moved to return to her place behind the counter, but stopped where Gajeel had first approached her.

He'd left a card.

Noticing it as the card from her shop, Levy's eyes took in the address and numbers before turning it over.

Her stomach flipped.

There on the back, was Lucy's handwriting.

 ** _Our slowest hours are  
2-4 on Mondays._**

Levy looked up at the clock.

It was 2:45pm.

* * *

 _Drop a review if you'd like :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	6. His Silence

_**Request by:** Snakeboy33_

 _ **Prompt:** Natsu and Lucy reunite after the timeskip—with a little more NaLu this time._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** After reuniting with "the Challenger" at the Grand Magic Games, Lucy wakes to find Natsu shuffling around in her living room and overhears him talking to Happy. Canon. NaLu. OneShot._

 _ **Word Count:** 956_

* * *

Needless to say, Lucy was conflicted.

He was back. The happy-go-lucky, childishly goofy, hot-headed, dense but loveable, dorky pyromaniac was back. Waltzing in—like only he would do—and naturally causing thousands upon thousands of jewels worth of damage.

Well...he wouldn't be Natsu if he didn't.

He took the news about the guild rather well—aside from wanting to bash in half the members' face—and once they got back to her apartment, entertained her with stories of his journeys.

She finally felt like she was at home...

But she was so hurt.

He'd just up and left without telling anyone. Yeah, okay, he left a note...but after everything that had happened, couldn't he have at least said goodbye in person? Didn't they all deserve that?

Didn't _she_ deserve that?

Running a hand down her face, Lucy stared up at the stars she'd painted on her ceiling. Natsu had thought he was being stealthy, sneaking into her room, but she knew he was there. He and happy had noticed her wall and then left shortly after—footsteps now dragging much slower than before.

Letting out a sigh, Lucy swung her legs over the side of her bed and shuffled to the door. She might as well grab a glass of water if she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon.

"...been alone all this time."

Lucy's ears perked up at this.

"She's been keeping track of everyone...huh?" That was happy.

She heard Natsu sigh and sheets shuffle. Soft footsteps began to pace along her floor.

"God, how could we have been so stupid?" Lucy could almost see the dragon slayer pulling at the roots of his hair.

"Natsu, you couldn't have known—"

"I should've..." he whispered. "I was just so messed up after Igneel..."

Silence.

"I just wanted to protect them all so badly, I didn't think." he finished.

 _Oh, Natsu._

"You have to talk to her, Natsu."

"I know...I just...I don't know what I can do to even _begin_ to make it up to—" Natsu cut himself off.

"...Natsu?"

A low chuckle sounded through the room, and Lucy could almost see the devilish grin spreading across his face. Even after a year apart...she still knew him.

"I know what to do. Sleep, Happy...we gotta get up early tomorrow."

Shaking her head, Lucy wandered into her kitchen to grab a glass of water. She chugged had of her first glass, topped it off, and then turned to make her way back—

 _Bump._

She walked into a hard surface, spilling her water and losing her balance. Toppling backward, Lucy fell toward the kitchen tile.

 _Catch._

An arm wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her tight against the body that had knocked her off balance. Pulling back to look up at the pink-haired pyro that had infiltrated her kitchen, Lucy flushed.

"Heya, Luce," he grinned wide, "you okay?"

Taking a step back, she nodded. "Yeah, sorry...I got you all wet."

Natsu blinked and looked down. Droplets rolled down his chest and stomach and the front of his right pant leg was drenched.

He shrugged and lit himself on fire briefly, effectively evaporating the water from his body and clothes. "No harm done."

Lucy smiled.

He held out a hand to her then and she looked at him quizzically.

"You're wet too, y'know."

Looking down at herself, Lucy found he was right. Water darkened the front of her shirt in a large puzzle around her chest. She looked back up and continued to stare dumbly at his hand.

Natsu laughed, "Take it."

Placing her hand tentatively in his, Lucy watched as fire from his palm enveloped her body to evaporate the water.

The sensation...was indescribable.

The fire worked its way up her forearm, igniting every nerve it came in contact with. It didn't burn, it warmed. Her skin began to tingle as the fire spread down her legs to her feet, up and around her other arm, and finally, up her chest to her face.

Lucy was breathless.

Enveloped in Natsu's magic, Lucy could feel...everything.

Her emotions were on fire, she couldn't breathe, the was paralyzed. She could feel her own magic as it coursed through her body intertwining with Natsu's and centering around her heart. With a final squeeze, Lucy drew in a shuddering breath and opened her eyes.

Natsu was smiling down at her.

Never had Lucy felt more complete...never had she felt more cared for than she did right now with Natsu's magic enveloping her. It was stronger now, he was more sure of himself, with him...together they'd be unstoppable.

Was this what it felt like during a Unison Raid?

Closing her eyes, she allowed the heat to roam again, relishing in the warmth. As she breathed out again, she felt Natsu move closer to her and a pressure against her forehead.

"I missed you, Lucy." He whispered.

Peering through her eyelashes, she saw Natsu's forehead against hers. The intensity of the fire increased with this closer contact, and Lucy almost felt herself topple over. How could he have gained such a presence in only a year...what had he been doing?

His hand left hers then, and the magic faded. Coming back to her senses, Lucy watched as Natsu took a step back and adopted his signature smile before heading back to his spot on her couch.

Clenching the glass in her hand tightly, Lucy turned to fill it up with water again. Swallowing her conflicted feelings, the celestial mage wandered back to her room.

Staring in the direction of her living room, though she was quiet, she knew he'd hear her.

"I missed you too, Natsu."

* * *

 _You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for all your reviews and favourites and support. It keeps my fingers clackin'._

 _Lemme know what you think! :)_

 _\- xinaidebenihime_


	7. Mama Papa?

_**A/N:** Hey guys, I've had a really busy week and had a few more requests thrown my way, so the next few may take an extra day or two to write. I'm doing what I can to think up ideas for these though, so I hope you'll bear with me for a bit XD Thanks!_

 _I really enjoy writing Gray._

 _ **Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** Gajeel, Juvia and Lily return from a job with a kid in tow calling them Mama and Papa._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** Juvia, Gajeel and Lily return from a job with a little girl calling them Mama and Papa. This little girl follows a jealous Gray as he leaves the guild, bothered by the whole situation. Gruvia. OneShot._

 _ **Word Count:** 690_

* * *

Gray was _not_ jealous.

Surely this was all just a misunderstanding, or a prank that flamebrain was pulling on him. It was absolutely impossible for Juvia and Gajeel to have gone on a week long job, and for them to have come back with a five-year-old kid.

No fucking way.

"Torch get shoved up your ass Ice Princess? You look like you're gunna boil."

Arms crossed and with a devilish smirk on his face, Natsu wandered up beside Gray, taking in the same scene as his frenemy. Sitting at one of the booths in the back, Juvia and Gajeel entertained a little girl with their magic as she giggled.

It'd been a few days since the two of them had returned with a kid in tow, and the guild had taken a liking to the small child. The little girl with black-blue hair didn't know her name or where she came from, but that didn't stop her from jumping all over Gajeel and Juvia.

That wasn't what bothered Gray though.

What bothered Gray, was the fact that the girl was calling them Mama and Papa.

It didn't register at first that he was upset. He would sneer whenever he'd hear it, shove his hands into his pockets, walk away, or head outside of the guild and take a small job around town. Something to get away from the scene or deal with the pressure that he'd feel in his chest when he'd hear that.

The girl looked like the two of them.

While she unmistakably had Juvia's face shape and deep blue eyes, this little girl's skin tone was a few shades darker. Though her hair was long and wavy like Juvia's…

It was pitch black and ended in large tufts like Gajeel's. The hair was so dark it took on a slight blue tinge…

Stomach sinking, Gray crossed his arms in front of his chest before turning back to Natsu.

"Mind your own business Ashface."

Pushing past the dragon slayer, he wandered outside to a nearby fountain. Watching as the streams flowed along the marble, he traced the lines of the rock…captivated.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice when the small girl popped up beside him.

"Hi!" she smiled.

"…uh…hi." Gray blinked, not quite sure how to talk to her.

"What you doin'?" she asked, eyes wide. They twinkled in the sun a deep navy, almost black as she smiled, lighting up her aura and energy.

"Just playing with water," he told her, dropping his hand from the fountain. The split streams rejoined and once again flowed as one.

"My momma plays with water," she muttered, poking the stone and watching the streams split on either side of her finger. "My daddy does too!"

Gray's eyebrows came together, "Gajeel plays with metal…not water."

"I know!" Sitting down in front of the little girl, the ice mage's brown furrowed.

"Then why are you calling him Papa?"

 _Silence._

The small child looked more thoughtful then, "I have to go back soon."

"I can take you back to the guild when you're ready, okay?" Though Gray wasn't happy about the whole situation, that didn't mean he wouldn't take care of a kid who could get hurt without supervision.

She shook her head, "No…not that _back."_

Gray was even more confused now.

Looking up, the girl's long black hair fell away from her cheeks to either side of her face. Closing her eyes, she basked in the sun's rays.

"I wanted to meet mommy and daddy before they were mommy and daddy." She looked toward Gray then, and before he knew it, she was hugging him.

"Keep her safe," she whispered.

A bright light enveloped the small girl as Gray watched her fade. Bringing her hands together, her face scrunched up before breaking into another breathtaking smile as she began to dissipate.

Reaching out a closed fist to him, she waited until Gray held his palm out. When she finally disappeared, he caught what dropped from her hand.

Drawing it into his chest, Gray slowly revealed finger by finger the small token given to him.

It was an ice heart with a liquid center.

* * *

 _Alright guys, I've got quite a few in the queue, so requests are closed for now. Thank you for your suggestions and your reviews, they motivate me and are really awesome ^.^_

 _\- xinaidebenihime_


	8. Thunder

_**Request by:** Anon_

 _ **Prompt:** Levy goes to check on Lily during a thunderstorm to make sure he's okay, and stumbles upon Gajeel, fresh out of the shower._

 _ **Rating:** T - adult themes (no lemon)_

 _ **Summary:** While heading to the iron dragon slayer's apartment in the midst of a thunderstorm to check on Lily, Levy finds herself face to face with Gajeel…fresh out of the shower._

 _ **Word Count:** 1,302_

* * *

It looked like a spiderweb.

As the lightning in the clouds connected into branching lines of light, Levy anxiously hurried to Gajeel's apartment. He'd been out of town on a job and Lily had been sick, so she wanted to make sure he was alright.

In the year they'd spent together in the council, the three of them had gotten close and she'd often found herself checking on Lily when a thunderstorm happened, or an opponent who's specialty was thunder was kicking up a storm.

Which is what she was doing now.

Keeping herself dry beneath a solid script 'Air,' Levy weaved through the streets in pursuit of the duo's apartment. The roads were free of cars and bodies, and had been since the rain had begun to fall.

As the clouds opened and the rain became a torrential downpour, Levy's pace picked up to a run. Within a minute she was shielded from the rain and ducking into the iron dragon slayer's apartment complex.

Using his spare key to let herself in, Levy wandered through the halls, up the elevator, and to his apartment door. Entering through the front door, she surveyed his apartment, looking for the black exceed.

Amongst the laundry ridden room, in the chair nestled in the corner, lay Lily curled in a ball. He'd burrowed his face into stomach, and he was shaking with each crack of thunder.

Levy's heart ached as she glided over to him, picking him up and setting him on her lap. Letting her nails work wonders on his scalp behind his ears, it wasn't long before the sleeping exceed's convulsions subsided.

As his stomach began to vibrate beneath her touch, Levy warmed at his purring. It always baffled her how someone as strong and confident as Lily could be crippled with fear by thunder. Granted, it probably went back to something in his youth—or hell, it could just be that the loud noise terrified him and he didn't like it—but she understood it nonetheless and did what she could to ease his anxiety.

Leaning back in Gajeel's armchair, Levy found herself drifting of as the storm diminished. It seemed like only seconds before she awoke to the slamming of a door and rubbed her eyes. What the hell was going on?

Still sound asleep, Levy redirected her gaze from Lily on her lap to the direction the sound came from. Striding out from the door, dripping wet, and clad in only a towel, stood Gajeel.

Oh hot _damn._

Levy had seen him half naked countless times—his habit of sporting his muscles proudly was one she was used to—but this…for some reason this time was different.

Rubbing his hair with a second towel, he shuffled into the living room. Throwing his head back, his damp hair fell down between his shoulder blades, separating into his signature tufts. Jamming his pinky into his ear, Gajeel freed the water trapped before his eyes landed on Levy.

Beads of water rolled their way from his shoulders down his chest. Falling into the contours of his defined muscle, Levy swallowed thickly. The dim lights within his apartment refracted within the rolling droplets, glistening upon his skin. His skin rippled over his biceps and abdominal muscles as he moved, scratching the back of his neck.

How the hell did he make existing look so damn sexy?

"…yo, shrimp. Watchya doin' here?"

Throwing the second towel over his shoulder, Gajeel shuffled over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of pants. Blushing furiously, Levy struggled to hold his gaze as he awaited her reply.

"You were supposed to be out of town…" she muttered, continuing her attention to Lily's head.

Gajeel shrugged, "I got home early, just jumped in the shower. Why? You gunna raid my apartment when I ain't here?" A smug grin broke from his lips as he smirked at her playfully.

Levy shook her head, "No. I just wanted to check on Lily and make sure he was okay since you weren't here."

Gajeel blinked and lowered his gaze. Levy wasn't sure if it was left over from the hot shower, or was a result of her words, but she thought she saw a faint blush on his cheeks as he pulled on a pair of pants beneath his towel. Now clothed on the bottom, he pulled the fabric from around his waist and tossed it on his bed.

"Ya didn't hafta do that, Shrimp." His gaze tentatively met hers.

Levy smiled smally, "Happy to. I consider Lily a friend and wanted to make sure he's okay."

They both looked to the sleeping exceed. A faint smile crossed his features as he burrowed further into Levy's lap.

"..doeye…'vtado…tuhbe…yurlp."

Levy cocked her head to one side at Gajeel's muttering in silent question. Noticing her quizzical expression, Gajeel averted his gaze from hers, turning away from the two of them.

Now knowing that Gajeel was home, there was no real reason for Levy to stay. She lifted Lily from her lap, setting him back where he'd been when she'd first arrived and headed for the door. Brushing by Gajeel, she reached for the door but was stopped by a hand on her upper arm.

"…do ya wanna stay?" he asked quietly.

Looking back to the iron dragon slayer, Levy found herself unable to pinpoint his emotion.

After having found out about the guild's history from Mavis, they were all on edge. In an attempt to ease his nerves, Gajeel had gone on a quick job before the First's prediction as to when Alvarez would attack. However, his nerves had had him so wired he'd finished the job earlier than anticipated and ended up coming back early.

Needless to say, aside from worrying about his friends…his thoughts were on the blue-haired script mage. He'd been furious when she'd been targeted during the battle with Tartaros…and these guys were exponentially stronger than the guild of demons.

He looked pained now, wanting her to stay but not wanting to seem vulnerable. recognizing what it is that he needed, she spoke up.

"Well, Lily might be happier if I stayed, right?"

Noticing the corners of his mouth tug upward, Levy unconsciously mirrored his expression. He gestured to his bed and pulled back the covers to let her in. She climbed in and got herself situated, eyes following the dragon slayer as he headed over to his chair.

"Watchya doin'?"

Gajeel looked at her with a furrowed brow, "Sleeping in my chair."

Mustering her courage, Levy took a deep breath. "Don't be dumb. I'm not going to steal your bed. It's big enough for two."

Slowly climbing in next to her, Levy could feel how tense his muscles were. Her stomach ached as she thought about him being uncomfortable and wondered if this was a good idea.

 _CRACK!_

She jumped at the thunder, hiding her face in the nearest crevice.

Which just so happened to be Gajeel's chest.

She felt him wrap an arm around her hesitantly, and then more firmly as another crack of lightning reverberated through the house. Lily was sleeping soundly, seemingly oblivious to the loud noises in comparison to before.

Levy's heart slowed down as she felt Gajeel's fingers trail down her back. As her eyes drooped sleepily, her own fingers trailed along the star and stud pattern that lined his comforter.

She soon found herself dosing off to the sound of his strong beating heart.

"Goodnight, Gajeel," she whispered.

It was a little while before she felt a pressure on the top of her head and the vibrations of his voice move past his lips to the top of her head.

"G'night, Levy."

Her own lips found the crook of his neck as the two drifted.

* * *

 _Requests are closed for the time being._

 _Drop a review! :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	9. Final Tour

_**A/N:** This was stuck in my head. Lemme know what you think :)_

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Pairing(s):** NaLu._

 _ **Prompt/Summary:** "Yes, I know this is your sweatshirt and that we broke up five months ago but it's really comfy okay? I totally don't wear it because like it still smells like you or is the only thing that even remotely feels like home since I moved out. Pfft. Absolutely not." NaLu. AU. OneShot. Complete._

 _ **Word Count:** 1,348_

* * *

Lucy gnawed on her thumbnail.

Well...she tried to anyway.

Since it was nearly non existent, she settled for nibbling at the skin instead. She'd managed to stop biting her nails over a year ago for a few months, but she'd recently started back up again.

Especially on days like these.

She was exhausted today, but had no choice but to head to the grocery store. She was out of food and had been cooped up in her new place for weeks avoiding calls. It was small and cozy and nice...

But Lucy hated her apartment.

It was so...desolate.

Everything was clean, but not because she'd cleaned it. It was spotless because it wasn't lived in. There was next to no food in her fridge, her tv hadn't been turned on since she'd installed it, and her clothes were all in their drawers because the only thing she really wanted to wear was the sweater she was currently donning.

She was showering every day so she was clean and could avoid washing it.

Yeah. That was kinda gross.

Okay...it was a lot gross. But...

It still smelled like him.

Cinnamon with a hint of wet wood and fallen leaves. The overwhelming scent of campfire filled her senses and eased her anxiety.

And then it made her heart ache.

She chewed on her thumb more vigorously as the decision to get 1 or 2% milk became a bigger deal than it should've been.

"Hey, I have a sweater just like—"

Lucy's head snapped around to the source of the voice.

"—...that."

She swallowed as he trailed off, looking up and down her current physical appearance. She suddenly really regretted stepping out in her current clothes and wished she'd gotten dolled up and hot.

Because it was so unfair how he looked right now.

Shaggy pink hair sticking up in all directions and falling in his eyes, made even brighter by his darkened skin—looked like he'd been somewhere sunny for awhile—and charcoal eyes. His jaw was lined with light stubble and Lucy found herself swallowing. The shirt he was wearing clung to his biceps and was trim along his sides. He looked like he'd lost weight and put on muscle since the last time she saw him.

He looked phenomenal.

 _Mavis_ , that was _so_ unfair.

Lucy didn't want to deal with him, so she did the first thing she could think of.

She shrugged, "This old thing is ratty and was left behind by a real jerk. Abandoned and alone. Wasn't just gunna leave it."

She saw him swallow as his voice became softer, "Lucy..."

"It's so comfy too. Wouldn't know why someone would want to get rid of it."

Biting back tears, the blonde snatched a jug of milk from the fridge, dropped it into her basket and darted into a new aisle. But her attempts were futile because unless she wanted to just abandon her basket and go shopping somewhere else, she was going to be stuck with him for the next ten minutes.

And the only other supermarket was a half hour walk from here in the opposite direction of her apartment.

Should she chance it anyway?

Fingers encircled her upper arm, gripping it firmly to stop her.

"I didn't want to abandon it."

She spun around.

"Bullshit. You left with no warning. _No. Warning._ And just a note about things not working out and that I—"

Lucy blinked to clear her vision.

"—that the _sweater_ needed to disappear."

"Lucy..."

"I mean, did you _want_ to make _it_ hate you for that? Because if you did then you did a really good job of—"

"Yes."

That shut Lucy up.

He _wanted_ to make her hate him?

...why?

He ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his neck, dog tags clinking from the movement of the chain. The silver was bright against his dark skin.

And against the very new brutally jagged scar on the side of his neck.

Suddenly all of Lucy's anger was pushed aside as she stepped closer to him and brought her fingers up to his neck.

"Wh...what did..." it was fleshy beneath her fingertips and looked like it was barely holding itself together. Black stitches were still keeping the thing shut as the scar tissue pulled at it.

"I thought I was gunna die this time, Luce," he whispered, averting his gaze form hers. "It seemed easier to make you hate me and know you could use that to move on than to die on you..."

 _SLAP!_

The tears were falling now.

"You selfish bastard," she choked, swallowing hard, "you think I didn't know you were on tour? I knew. I knew and I _still_ worried about you. Except this time you weren't sending me letters, or calling me, or _anything!_ So it wasn't _better."_

She sneered, "It was _worse_."

Natsu's head fell, hair shielding his eyes from hers but unable to hide that he'd started crying with her.

"I'm so sorry, Luce." He whispered, voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, I just..."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Lucy fit herself under his jaw with her face in his chest. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and back as his fingers dug into her flesh through the fabric of his sweater. At this moment she didn't care that it hurt a bit, and she didn't care that they were in the middle of a supermarket.

He was _alive._

He was a fucking idiot. Well...he was smart when it came to his job—his subordinates loved him and always said he was the best squad leader they'd ever had—but when it came to her and their relationship?

He could be a real moron.

He did the stupidest things, like not tell her something about a bill being overdue, or about an answering machine message having to do with her job.

Because he didn't want to hurt her.

And as stupid of an excuse as that may sound, it wasn't an excuse when it came to Natsu. It was just a part of who he was.

And though infuriating sometimes...it was a huge reason as to why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"Never," she whispered, "do that to me again. _Please._ " She nearly begged, clinging to him even tighter.

"Never," he muttered back. "I got honourably discharged."

Lucy pulled back, "What?"

The pinkette smiled, highlighting the slightest hint of sunburn on his cheeks. He'd been outside a lot during this last tour. Afghanistan maybe? She never really got to know exactly where he was gunna be.

He gestured to his neck, "This thing really did a number on my heart. They almost didn't get me back with how much blood I lost. So I was given a choice and I took it."

The blonde blinked incredulously.

"You chose to leave the Marine Corps?"

He was always talking about how he couldn't. About how Erza, Gray, Sting and Rogue needed him over there. It was a source of so many fights for them that Lucy had lost count how many times she'd cried herself to sleep with worry over him.

Over _all_ of them.

She'd met Titania, Absolute Zero's Ice, and the twin Slayers. She loved them all and was always happy when they could come over for dinner when they'd finished a tour.

Natsu had left of his own free will?

Nothing could make him do tha—

He shook his head, "No, I didn't choose to leave the Marine Corps."

Lucy's brow furrowed.

"Well...I mean yeah," Natsu rushed to correct himself, slightly flustered, "I did, but thats not what was my main focus."

His fingers found Lucy's face as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I chose to come home to _you."_

He tilted her head back slowly, seeking her out tenderly, lovingly, gently. Parting her lips with his, tracing her teeth with his tongue, nibbling at her lower lip...he claimed her mouth once again, thrilled when she responded to him with her hands in his hair.

"I choose you, Lucy." He whispered against her lips.

She just rose up on her toes to kiss him again.

 _Finally,_ she thought.

* * *

 _Review! :)_

 _\- xinaidebenihime_


	10. Gihi

_**A/N:** This _ also _got stuck in my head and wouldn't go away. I thought it was adorable and I love writing Gajeel. This was really fast, so sorry that it's kinda crappy._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Pairing(s):** Gajevy/Gale_

 _ **Prompt/Summary:** "You can't reach anything on the shelves at the grocery store and so I just go shopping with you even though I've never met you before." Gajevy AU. Fluffy OneShot. Complete._

 _ **Word Count:** 1,156_

* * *

She looked absolutely pathetic.

She was totally lucky there was like...nobody else in the store. Cause if anyone else was looking down the same aisle as she was, there would be a viral YouTube video being filmed.

And in a weird way, it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

She had to be at least a foot and a half shorter than him with bright blue hair held back by a headband. Her eyes were wide and dark and had her tongue sticking out to one side as she concentrated on balancing.

With one hand above her on a shelf, she steadied the placement of her foot on the second shelf as the other stuck out behind her and her free hand stretched toward the very back of one of the top shelves.

She was treating them like a makeshift ladder, only because there was still food on them she found the footholds she could, and like he said before.

It was adorably pathetic.

However, this wasn't the first time Gajeel had come across this...shrimp. They ended up almost always shopping on the same day, and though he'd never talked to her or ever seen her looking his way, he noticed her.

After all...shrimps were cute.

 _Ugh._

Gajeel shook his head and went to take off toward the next aisle.

"Crap!"

He heard a relatively loud clutter and froze mid stride, quickly peering back into the aisle to check and see if she was okay.

The shrimp was now sitting down in the middle of the aisle with a scrunched up expression on her face. She sighed heavily, getting back up and looking for her spaces again.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and scuffed the heels of his boots along the floor as he came up behind her.

With how high she was on her makeshift 'ladder,' the center of his chest pressed lightly into her back as he reached past her fingertips—that to her credit were only about a centimetre away from the _Pocky_ box she was trying to reach—inching the small carton closer to her hand and closing the distance between the two. Her fingers snatched it from its spot on the shelf as Gajeel backed away.

She hopped down from her spot, looking up at him with chocolate eyes. The smile that came across her face brightened her whole expression and Gajeel couldn't stop the warming he felt in his heart as his stomach sank.

"Thanks," she grinned, dropping the box into her basket and letting out a gush of air. "That's always happening to me."

"I know," he grunted, looking down and away to hide the faint blush heating his face.

He saw her blink out of the corner of his eye. "You know?"

 _Shit._

Gajeel swallowed, "I unno. You're here a lot when I am, and since you're a shrimp you're the only person who I notice climbing shelves for food when she thinks no one's lookin'."

The bluenette blinked again. " _Shrimp?"_

 _Uh oh...she wasn't supposed to hear that._

Gajeel scratched the back of his neck.

"Well...I mean..."

She folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Stupid metalhead," she frowned, eyebrows creasing as they came together in a scowl. "If you've got a problem with my height, then maybe you should just do my shopping with me.

Gajeel folded his arms over his chest, mirroring hers. "Well, maybe I will."

So he did.

Abandoning his own basket—not intentionally, it was just forgotten after grabbing the _Pocky_ for her—Gajeel followed the small girl around the store, grabbing each and every item on her list that was high enough for her to have needed to climb up the shelves.

Not many words were exchanged between them, the occasional snide but playful comment would get thrown out, but Gajeel always checked to make sure she was smiling and not taking him seriously.

She was.

He found himself a little sad when they ended up in the checkout line and he'd have to go back to do his own shopping.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he suddenly couldn't seem to find words as she arranged her groceries on the conveyer belt. He probably had about a minute before she'd have to pay, and it didn't look like the black-haired guy behind the counter would be very patient today. He was tugging at the collar of his shirt with one hand as he scanned the items with his other.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Why did she have to be so damn nice? People were never nice to him. It was weird.

He shrugged, "Tch. Whatever."

He thought he heard a faint giggle, but he couldn't be sure.

"Well, I hope I didn't keep you too late from your own shopping." She dropped her empty basket into the stack at the front of the checkout before situating herself in front of the debit machine.

"Not a big deal," he muttered, shifting from foot to foot.

"Well...I could always help you, maybe?" she offered. Her voice was quiet as she avoided his gaze.

He scoffed, "How could _you_ help _me_ shop?"

That sounded a lot harsher than he'd intended it to.

"I can reach the low stuff," she countered. Her face contorted again into a scowl, except this time her lip jutted out slightly.

So adorable.

Gajeel broke out in a wide grin and again crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Why don't we just stick to your shopping?"

Gajeel watched as after she paid, she pulled out the box of pocky and stuck one in her mouth with a mumbled, "Okay."

Feeling a little bold, Gajeel hovered over her from behind, grabbing a stick from the container and sticking one in his mouth.

"Hey!"

"What?" he smirked, nibbling on the chocolate end. He was never much for Pocky, but seeing the expression on her face was worth it.

"Don't steal my pocky," she glared.

He leaned down so his face was closer to hers, "Well why don't you come and get it?"

She didn't miss the flirtatious lure in his voice and did her best to hide the deep blush on her cheeks.

"Well," she started, flustered, "maybe I will!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

Eyes darting back and forth between his crimson gaze and grinning lips, the bluenette seemed to stay speechless as she lingered on his mouth.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her bags and left in a rush, head down at her feet.

"Take care, Shrimp!" he called, pulling the rest of the pocky into his mouth with his tongue and crunching down on it.

"Not a _shrimp!"_

Gajeel smiled to himself as he watched her walk away. Her hips swayed like silk and he found himself running the tip of his tongue along his teeth.

He was going to have a lot of fun teasing her next time.

"Gihi."

* * *

 _Thank you all so much for your reviews. They really make my day. I know I say that a lot, but I really do mean it._

 _Let me know what you think! :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


	11. Nakama

_**A/N:** Hey guys. I've been so busy I haven't been able to write. This is SO not good for my soul._

 _ **Rating:** K+ - mild language_

 _ **Summary:** After his fight with Zeref, Happy brings Natsu back to the guild where an angry Lucy is waiting for him. Slight NaLu. Canon Universe. Complete._

 _ **Word Count:** 802_

* * *

 **I AM WARNING YOU OF SPOILERS! IF YOU DO NOT READ THE MANGA AND WANT TO AVOID WHAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN/READ YET, THEN DO NOT READ THIS**

* * *

She wanted to kill that blip.

She knew it was just a little light that represented his location, but nonetheless she wanted to tear it from that map and rip it into tiny little pieces. He was _such_ an _idiot_. What the _hell_ did he think he was doing?

Leaving her behind like that again…

If he didn't get himself killed, she'd do it herself.

"Hey, he's coming back!"

Lucy watched as Natsu's location swiftly sped back in the direction of the guild. It would only be a matter of moments before—

The doors opened.

He was banged up. The bandage was gone with nothing underneath it. Whatever he'd hidden he'd obviously used. Scratches adorned his torso—which was nothing major when it came to the dragon slayer—and there was a nasty gash on his cheek that made Lucy's stomach sink.

But nothing was worse that the empty look in his eyes.

Lucy forgot everything and rushed over.

"What happened?" she asked, turning his head to get a better look at the wound on his cheek. The skin peeled back and was taking on a weird sort of texture. Whatever had done this to him had made the ragged edges of skin look like paper.

"All my fault…" he muttered, staring past her. "It's all my fault."

Natsu fell to his knees then, head in his hands as Lucy looked up to Happy.

The guild went quiet.

"Happy…what happened? What's going on with Zeref?" she asked. The blue exceed bit his lip as his eyes avoided hers.

"I stopped Natsu before he could try and kill him."

Silence.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPY!?"

Gray rushed over from where he'd been standing and grabbed the cat by the green handkerchief around his neck. He was still using flying magic, so it wasn't hurting him, but it was still uncomfortable nonetheless to be pulled in that suddenly.

"WHY WOULD YOU STOP HIM!?"

 _"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT NATSU TO DIE!"  
_

Gray glared, "Natsu is Natsu, he won't get killed."

"Yes he _will,"_ Happy cried, holding back the tears again, "if Zeref dies, Natsu dies."

Gray's gaze hardened.

Happy explained, and once again, there was no sound to be heard.

"Natsu is E.N.D.?" Gray whispered, letting go of the exceed.

Lucy looked down at the floor, to Natsu. Her mother had brought the dragon slayers from the past…had she used too much magic and that's what made her sick?

No…there had to be something else.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," Natsu's voice cracked as he hunched over into himself, "if it wasn't for me…your mom—"

"You don't know that," Lucy interrupted, gaze hardening. And even if it was bringing them back, her mother had made a decision and would have her own reasons for what she did. She was her own person after all.

"I'm a demon…" he swallowed, eyes finally meeting hers, "you've all said it at one point or another. I'm not even supposed to be alive right now."

He stood from the floor, fists clenching. "This is my responsibility. I have to kill him."

Beat.

 _WHAM!_

"WHAT THE HELL GRAY?!"

"You're a fucking hypocrite, you know that?"

Gray towered above the now floored dragon-slayer, eyes cold as the ice he wielded. Only one other time has Natsu seen that expression on his face, and he'd been a pretty good actor then.

But he wasn't acting now.

"I told my father that I'd kill the fire demon," he seethed, pulling Natsu back up by his scarf. Natsu braced himself for the inevitable attack from Gray…

But Gray did nothing.

"But you aren't a demon, Natsu." He said curtly. "You're Natsu of Fairy Tail, and I'll be damned if you go get yourself killed after all the shit you've given me about trying to do the same. I'll lock you up myself if I have to."

Gray released his hold and Natsu stumbled.

"C'mon guys, lets head to our place on the field."

Gray strode out the door after giving Natsu a last hard glare.

 _Slap!_

Natsu stared down at Lucy, her blood boiling beneath her skin.

" _Never._ Leave like that again." She fumed, eyes glassing over. "We can figure this out, Natsu. You don't have to die."

Natsu stared at the floor…

And felt two warm arms wrap around his torso.

"We're your nakama. Remember what you told Erza after the tower of heaven?" she asked, resting her forehead against his chest. "Do you know how devastated we'd be if we lost you?"

Natsu's heart clenched.

"Live for us, Natsu."

Her voice lowered and he strained his ears to hear what she was mumbling to herself.

"Live for _me."_

Natsu's head dropped as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

And his arms encircled her.

* * *

 _Review! :)_

 _-xinaidebenihime_


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